I like that Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier is looking to try to upgrade the football team. The running back position is a position some feel the Dolphins should upgrade, and Grier has investigated whether it be calling other teams about certain players at the position, like the New York Giants about Saquon Barkley or Las Vegas Raiders about Josh Jacobs. He investigated running back Dalvin Cook when the Minnesota Vikings released him. Grier is calling the Indianapolis Colts because they have given their star running back, Jonathan Taylor, permission to seek a trade.  

The Dolphins were one of the worst teams in the NFL in rushing a year ago. I think that was mostly because Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel didn’t run the football as much as he could have. He even has admitted that this season, the Dolphins have brought back all their running backs from the roster from a year ago, so obviously, they like their backs, but that doesn’t mean they won’t look to upgrade the position. Chris Grier has been criticized, and justifiably so, for not trying to upgrade the running back position, especially early in the draft. In 2020, the Dolphins had three first-round picks and two second-round picks. He could have drafted Taylor or some of the other running backs in that class between the 30th and 56th picks. Grier passed twice on pick 30 and 39. By the time pick 56 came, all the top running back prospects were gone. The Dolphins could have picked Taylor not once but twice. Instead, the Dolphins took cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, who has been a bust, and offensive lineman Robert Hunt, who has been a starter and played well. Chris Grier is now looking to make a mistake in looking into a trade for Taylor when he could have taken him four years ago. 

There’s no question Taylor is a good running back and would upgrade the position. Some say acquiring Taylor could put the Dolphins over the hump with a running back of Taylor’s talents to complement the Dolphins’ passing attack with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. They may be right, but the Colts are looking to trade one of their best players and get the most they can for him, as they should, but are they going to find a team that is desperate enough to give the Colts what they want and give Taylor a new contract. To me, the Dolphins are that desperate. Grier is looking for a deal that will protect the team and their draft assets next year and beyond because they are over the cap next year by 30 million, and they need to keep those draft picks. Plus, other players on this team are going to be looking for contract extensions, like Christian Wilkins, who deserves a new one, and others. Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel wrote a column the other day about why the Dolphins shouldn’t acquire Taylor because acquiring Taylor means giving him a new deal, which could rub some players on the roster looking for new deals the wrong way. He’s right about that it would potentially be.  

The running back position has been devalued over the years, and teams aren’t paying players at the position because of the wear and tear of the players’ bodies, and their skills diminish as they get older. I don’t feel the position should be devalued because, in December and January, you must show you can run the ball in the cold and windy weather. Frankly, it’s one reason the Buffalo Bills haven’t gotten over the hump. As much as the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs threw the ball, they ran the ball in the postseason to complement their passing attack. The Dolphins need to commit to running the ball more with the backs they have and not abandon it. There were times last year when Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson showed flashes in games of getting good gains, but McDaniel got away from running the ball. The running backs this preseason have all played well and been a bright spot. It shows maybe the Dolphins don’t need to make a big offer to a running back like Cook or Taylor.   

The Dolphins are going all in, but they shouldn’t exhaust their draft capital or salary cap space; the Los Angeles Rams did because they want to keep their team. The Rams did win a Super Bowl two years ago, but they are paying the price for it right now. They don’t have cap space and have traded away top picks for years; it’s one reason the Dolphins got Ramsey at a discounted price. Grier doesn’t have to do that and should focus on players he drafted who are due for new deals, like Wilkins, Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Phillips, and others. Taylor isn’t a player I would go all in on.Â